Clamp bracket for concrete forms



April 14, 1964 J. D. KAY

CLAMP BRACKET FOR CONCRETE FORMS Filed Nov. 27, 1962 ./oH/v 0. KAY

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,128,524 CLAMP BRACKET FUR CGNCRETE FRMS John D. Kay, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner to Burke Concrete Accessories, inc., a corporation of California Fiied Nov. 27, 1962, Ser. No. 240,273 6 Claims. (Cl. 25-131) The present invention relates to form clamps used in the construction of concrete wails, and more particularly to a novel clamp bracket.

The present invention is designed to overcome certain disadvantages with respect to the present use of form clamps by providing a novel clamp bracket which is simple in construction, easily applied in clamping relation with respect to the elements of a concrete form, and capable of being readily adjusted to brace such walls against outward displacement.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel clamp bracket capable of providing supporting means for a horizontal timber employed as a brace for a form wall and also wedge means for both adjusting the relative positions of the opposed form Walls and thereafter securely maintaining the elements of the form assembly against displacement with respect to each other during and after the pouring of concrete material between the form walls.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel clamp bracket of the kind characterized, one which simplies the erection and removal of concrete forms and which is durable and adapted for repetitious use.

Other and further objects of my invention will be pointed out hereinafter or will be obvious to one skilled in the art upon an understanding of the present disclosure. For the purpose of this application, l have elected to show herein certain forms and details of a clamp bracket which is representative of my invention; it is to be understood, however, that the embodiment of my invention herein shown and described is for purposes of illustration only and that therefore it is not to be regarded as exhaustive of the variations of the invention in the art.

In the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective View of a conventional concrete form showing my improved clamp bracket applied thereto;

FG. 2 is an end view of the clamp bracket, on a relatively enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the clamp bracket;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the clamp bracket; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FiG. 4.

Illustrated on the drawing is a conventional concrete form comprising opposed form walls 10, 19 supported by an underlying concrete base 11 and held in spaced relation with respect to each other by a number of suitably spaced tie-rods 12 (only one (1) being shown), which support suitable means such as cone-shaped spacing members 13 in firmly abutting relationship with the interior faces of such form walls. The end portions of the tie-rods 12 extend outwardly from the form walls, thereby providing means for supporting timbers or wales 14 which are disposed in bracing relationship to the form walls, and which when secured by means wedged between their outer sides and terminal heads 12a on the ends of the tie-rods prevent the outward spreading of the form walls. Various types of clamps or wedges have been heretofore used to hold the timbers in pressure engaging relationship with the form walls, and the present invention is primarily directed to an improved device of this character which is simple in construction and economical in use.

My improved clamp bracket is preferably formed from sheet metal, which is suitably bent to provide an outer planar end portion 15, having an upwardly disposed co- 3,128,524 Patented Apr. 14, 1964 ice planar extension 15a, opposed side portions 16, 16 preferably although not necessarily arranged in upwardly converging positions, and an inner planar portion or member comprising end portions 17, 17 which are disposed in a common plane in substantially parallel relation to the outer end portion and its extension. The inner end portions 17, 17 are -shaped so as to provide an intervening inverted V-shaped opening 18, or if preferred, the said inner end portions may be formed integrally with each other to provide an apertured planar member of suitable shape. The length of the opposed side portions 16, 16 is less than the width of the timber 14, and the upper edges of the said side portions are disposed in a common plane to provide a substantially horizontal seat 19 for supporting the timber in a transverse position, such seat being substantially perpendicular to the outer planar portion 15 and its upward extension 15a.

Secured as by Welding or other suitable means to the outer portion 15 and the co-planar inner end portions 17, 17 is an inverted, substantially V- or U-shaped member 2i), the vertex 21 of which is in substantially horizontal alignment with or slightly below the upper edges of the side portions 16, 16 forming the supporting seat for the timber.

The outer end portion 15 is provided with an aperture 22 of sufficient size to permit the passing therethrough of a head 12a of the tie-rod 12, such aperture being positioned in substantially horizontal alignment with the vertex portion 21 of the inverted V-shaped member 2t). The inverted V-shaped member 2t) is adapted to provide guide means for facilitating the insertion of the headed end of a tie-rod through the aperture 22 when applying the clamp bracket to a form wall. The inclined sides of the inverted V-shaped opening 18 formed by the opposed edges of the inner planar end portions 17, 17 are also adapted to facilitate the mounting of the clamp bracket on the tierod by providing guide means for seating the said rod against the vertex portion of the inverted V-shaped member.

Adjustably supported by and slidably held between opposed guide anges 23, 23 secured as by welding to the outer portion 15 and its extension 15a is an elongated wedge member 24 having an inner planar side or surface engaging with the outer faces of the said outer portion and its extension 15a. The ends of the Wedge member 24 are preferably bent outwardly as at 25 to provide means for convenience in slidably adjusting such wedge member and for normally preventing it from becoming detached from the guide iianges. The outer face of the wedge member 24 is offset outwardly to provide a wedgelike cam surface 26 extending longitudinally from an aperture 27 in an end portion thereof to a point adjacent the opposite end of such wedge member. The aperture 27 is of suitable size to permit the passing therethrough of the head 12a of the tie-rod 12, and such aperture is adapted to register horizontally with the aperture 22 in the outer portion 15 when the wedge member 24 is in a suitably adjusted position. The cam surface 26 carried by the wedge member is arranged to overlie the aperture 22 in the outer portion 15 continuously as the wedge member is slidably adjusted back and forth. The wedge member 24 is provided with an elongated slot 2S of substantially uniform width throughout its length which intersects the cam surface 26 longitudinally and extends from a point connecting with the aperture 22 to terminate at a closed end at or adjacent a point where the cam surface reaches its highest point of displacement with respect to the inner planar face of the wedge member. The width of the slot 28 is narrower than the head 12a of the tie-rod 12 but slightly wider than the diameter of the latter, thereby making it possible for the adjustment of the wedge member 24 with respect to the tie-rod while the head remains in engagement with the cam surface 25.

The bracket is adapted to be mounted on an outwardly projecting portion of the tie-rod l2 extending beyond a form wall 1d by passing the head 12a through the registering apertures 2.2 and 27 in the outer planar portion l5 and the wedge member 24, respectively. After the bracket is arranged so its inverted V-shaped member 2d is seated on and supported by the tie-rod 12, a timber 14 is placed in a transverse position seated on the upper edges 19 of the side portions i6, t6. The bracket being adapted to pivot or rock about the tie-rod makes it feasible for the timber to be easily adjusted from an inclined to a horizontal position without becoming unseated, providing a downward pressure on the tie-rod by the inverted V-shaped member is maintained. The outward increasing displacement of the cam surface 26 from the aperture 27 to a point near the closed end of the slot 28, away from the inner plane surface of the wedge member 24, is such that when the wedge member is forcibly adjusted in a direction in which the terminal head 12a of the tie-rod extension travels along the cam surface toward the closed end of the slot, a suitable wedging action will be applied to the outer side of the timber 14 to develop the desired wedged inter-relationship between the timber, the bracket, the tie-rod and the form walls of the assembly.

In normal practise, the 'timber `14 will preferably be supported in a substantially horizontal position on at least two (2) of the clamp brackets, and when so positioned, the inner side of such timber will be in abutting relationship with a form wall i-, as shown in FIG. l. With the head 12a of the tie-rod l2 engaging with that end of the carn surface Q6 where the latters minimum outward displacement occurs, the wedge member 2d is wedged between the outer portion 15 and such tie-rod head to impose a suitable clamping effect upon the associated elements of the assembly. The adjustment of the wedge member .24 to effect such wedging action may be accomf plished by applying impacts from a hammer or the like against that end 25 of such wedge member which is nearest the closed end of `the slot 2S. A bracket clamp when once secured in clamping relationship with respect to the form assembly is not apt to become loose, since the terminal head 12a of the tie-rod frictionally engaging with the cam surface 26 will hold the wedge member 24 against displacement. Removal of a `form bracket, preparatory to the dismantling of the form walls, is accompl-ished by suitably adjusting the wedge member in a reverse direction to position its aperture 27 again in registry with the aperture 22 in the outer planar portion y15, thereby allowing the head 12a to pass freely through such apertures as the bracket is manually det-ached from the tie-rod extension.

What I claim is:

1. A clamp bracket cooperatively associated with the terminal head of a tie-rod extension and a timber arranged transversely thereof, comprising spaced planar inner and outer substantially parallel end portions, opposed side portions interposed between the inner and 4outer portions, the upper edges of the side portions forming .a seat for the transversely disposed timber, an element of substantially inverted V-shape interposed between and connected to the inner and outer portions, the said element being positioned between the opposed side portions, the vertex portion of the element forming a seat overlying the tie-rod extension, aligned apertures in the inner and outer portions, the said apertures being in substantial alignment with the vertex portion of the said element and being of sufficient size to allow the terminal head of the tie-rod extension to pass freely therethrough, a coplanar extension on the outer portion extending upwardly beyond the upper edges of the side portions, opposed guide members secured to the outer portion and the upward co-planar extension, an elongated reciprocable wedge member adjustably mounted on and between the guide members and having its inner side slidably engaging with the outer portion and the co-planar upward extension, the wedge member having an aperture of sufficient size to permit the passing therethrough of the terminal head of the tie-rod, such aperture being positioned for registry with the vertex portion of the said element when the wedge member is in a certain adjusted position, a cam surface cooperatively engaging with the terminal head of the .tie-rod extension and extending longitudinally from the aperture in the wedge member and dispo-sed in an inclined plane extending outwardly with respect to the inner planar side of the wedge member, and a longitudinal slot in the wedge member connecting with the aperture in the wedge member and transversing the cam surface and adapted to accommodate the tie-rod extension slidably, the slot having a width smaller than the diameter of the terminal head.

2. A clamp bracket cooperatively associated with the terminal head of a tie-rod extension and a timber arranged transversely thereof, comprising opposed planar inner and outer end portions arranged in substantially vertical parallel planes, the outer portion being adapted to engage with the outer side of the transverse timber, opposed side portions interposed between the inner and outer portions and rigidly connected to `the outer portion, the upper edges of the side portions lying in a common plane and forming a seat for the tranverse timber, a rigid element of substantially inverted V-shape interposed between and connected to the inner and outer portions, the vertex portion of the element forming a seat adapted to engage with and overlie the tie rod-extension, horizontally aligned apertures in the inner and outer portions, the said apertures being in registry with the vertex portion of the element, and being of slightly larger diameter than the width of the terminal head, an elongated wedge member mounted for reciprocating adjustment on the outer portion, the wedge member having an inner planar face slidably engaging with the outer portion and also having an aperture adjacent one end thereof of slightly larger diameter than the width of the head of the tie-rod, such aperture being positioned for registry with the vertex portion of the element when `the wedge member is in a certain adjusted position, a longitudinal cam surface carried by the wedge member and cooperatively engaging with the terminal head of the tie-rod, the cam surface being disposed in an inclined plane extending outwardly with respect to the inner face of the wedge member, and a longitudinal slot in the wedge member connecting with the aperture in such wedge member and transversing 4the cam surface and adapted to accommodate the tie-rod extension slidably, the slot having a width smaller than the width of the terminal head.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein opposed guide members on the outer portion are arranged in supporting relationship with regard to the wedge member and the wedge member is formed with outwardly bent end portions.

4. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the inner portion comprises 4laterally spaced co-pianar portions, having an opening therebetween partially in registry with the vertex portion of the inverted V-sh-aped member.

5. A clamp bracket cooperatively associated with Athe terminal head of a tie-rod extension and a timber arranged transversely thereof, comprising an inner planar portion adapted to eng-age cooperatively with a form wall, an outer planar portion arranged substantially in parallel relation Ito the inner portion, opposed side portions interposed between the inner and outer portions, a substantially horizontal seat at the upper edges of the side portions for supporting the transverse timber in a position engaging with the form wall, the seat having a length less than the width of the timber, the inner portion lying wholly below the level of the seat and the outer portion extending above the level` of such seat, seat means for the tie-rod extension carried by and interposed 'between the inner and outer portions and overlying and resting on the tie-rod eXtension, an elongated wedge member mounted for reciprocating adjustment on the outer portion and having an aperture larger than the vvidth of the terminal head of the tie-rod extension in an end portion thereof, the said aperture being adapted to register with the seat means for the tie-rod eX- tension when ythe wedge member is in one of its -adjusted positions, an outwardly inclined elongated cam surface carried by the wedge member, the cam surface cooperatively engaging with the terminal head, and an elongated slot in the vvedge member traversing the cam surface longitudinally and adapted to accommodate slidably the -tie-rod extension, and having a width narrower than the width of the terminal head.

6. A cla-mp bracket cooperatively associated with the terminal head of a tie-rod extension and a timber arranged transversely thereof comprising an inner substantially vertical planar portion adapted to engage 'cooperatively with a form wall, an outer planar portion arranged substantially in parallel relation to the inner portion, opposed side portions interposed Ibetween the inner 4and outer planar portions and having seat means for supporting the timber, a saddlelike element interposed between and rigidly connected to the inner and outer planar portions, the saddlelike element having a part thereof overlying and seated upon the tie-rod extension, the inner and outer planar portions having aligned apertures yto permit the terminal head to pass Itherethrough, an elongated Wedge member mounted for slidable adjustment on the outer pl-anar portion and having an inner face engaging with the outer planar portion and having an aperture adjacent an end thereof adapted to receive the terminal head, the said aperture being adapted to register with the aligned apertures of the inner and outer portions when the Wedge is in a certain adjusted position, and a longitudinal cam surface on the wedge member cooperatively engaging with Ithe terminal head and extending longitudinally from the aperture in such wedge member and disposed in an outwardly inolined position with respect to the inner face of the wedge member, the wvedge member having a slot transversing the cam surface longitudinally, the slot accommodating slidably the tie-rod extension, and the slot having a substantially uniform width narrower than the diameter of the terminal head.

Patterson et al Sept. 8, 1959 Terry July 31, 1962 

6. A CLAMP BRACKET COOPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE TERMINAL HEAD OF A TIE-ROD EXTENSION AND A TIMBER ARRANGED TRANSVERSELY THEREOF COMPRISING AN INNER SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANAR PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE COOPERATIVELY WITH A FORM WALL, AN OUTER PLANAR PORTION ARRANGED SUBSTANTIALLY IN PARALLEL RELATION TO THE INNER PORTION, OPPOSED SIDE PORTIONS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER PLANAR PORTIONS AND HAVING SEAT MEANS FOR SUPPORTING THE TIMBER, A SADDLELIKE ELEMENT INTERPOSED BETWEEN AND RIGIDLY CONNECTED TO THE INNER AND OUTER PLANAR PORTIONS, THE SADDLELIKE ELEMENT HAVING A PART THEREOF OVERLYING AND SEATED UPON THE TIE-ROD EXTENSION, THE INNER AND OUTER PLANAR PORTIONS HAVING ALIGNED APERTURES TO PERMIT THE TERMINAL HEAD TO PASS THERETHROUGH, AN ELONGATED WEDGE MEMBER MOUNTED FOR SLIDABLE ADJUSTMENT ON THE OUTER PLANAR PORTION AND HAVING AN INNER FACE ENGAGING WITH THE OUTER PLANAR PORTION AND HAVING AN APERTURE ADJACENT AN END THEREOF ADAPTED TO RECEIVE THE TERMINAL HEAD, THE SAID APERTURE BEING ADAPTED TO REGISTER WITH THE ALIGNED APERTURES OF THE INNER AND OUTER PORTIONS WHEN THE WEDGE IS IN A CERTAIN ADJUSTED POSITION, AND A LONGITUDINAL CAM SURFACE ON THE WEDGE MEMBER COOPERATIVELY ENGAGING WITH THE TERMINAL HEAD AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY FROM THE APERTURE IN SUCH WEDGE MEMBER AND DISPOSED IN AN OUTWARDLY INCLINED POSITION WITH RESPECT TO THE INNER FACE OF THE WEDGE MEMBER, THE WEDGE MEMBER HAVING A SLOT TRANSVERSING THE CAM SURFACE LONGITUDINALLY, THE SLOT ACCOMMODATING SLIDABLY THE TIE-ROD EXTENSION, AND THE SLOT HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM WIDTH NARROWER THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE TERMINAL HEAD. 